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Educational negotiations is a dynamic profession. Keeping track of current trends, studies, reports and news articles about negotiations is an essential skill for the professional negotiator. NAEN publishes a weekly Potpourri of Articles of Interest on this Blog. NAEN members may read, comment and post news of their own on the NAEN Blog. Non-members may view the blog and are welcome to subscribe through an RSS feed (see icon below).

7. Nashua, NH.New evaluation system allows ineffective teachers to remain in classrooms for grace period, The Union LeaderNew job performance evaluations that allow less-than-effective teachers to remain in classrooms for three to four years while they try to ...http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150730/NEWS04/150739955

11. Mississauga, ON.Peel board and high school teachers reach mediated labour agreement,Mississauga NewsHigh school teachers and Peel’s public school board have reached an arbitrated labour agreement that injects a glimmer of hope into what has so far been a dismal round of contract negotiations in Ontario’s public education sector. The agreement ... essentially settles local contract issues that could have potentially kept high school teachers in the region’s public schools out of classrooms ...http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/5764685-peel-board-and-high-school-teachers-reach-mediated-labour-agreement/

12. La Quinta, CA. Desert Sands, teachers reach deal after nine months, The Desert SunThe Desert Sands Unified School District and teachers’ association reached a tentative agreement late Monday night, bringing to close nine months of tense negotiation. The 14-hour mediation ended with a contract that teachers described as “fair” but not a “windfall.” Teachers will receive a 7.93 percent raise, which includes a 2 percent raise ...http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/education/2015/07/28/desert-sands-teachers-reach-deal-months/30805691/

23. Windsor, ON.Teachers’ union will resume provincial labour talks when ‘objectionable’ contract demands removed, Our WindsorThe president of the union representing teachers in Ontario’s public schools said this morning’s meeting with Premier Kathleen Wynne is a positive step in attempting to restart stalled labour negotiations. But Sam Hammond made it clear the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario would not return to the bargaining table if the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, which represents the province’s school boards during central bargaining talks with the teachers’ unions and provincial government, maintains its stance on what have become the most contentious issues.http://www.ourwindsor.ca/news-story/5750319-teachers-union-will-resume-provincial-labour-talks-when-objectionable-contract-demands-removed/

9. London, ON.Cash-strapped provincial government pleads poor to unions, London Free PressForget that school trip to the farm or the orchard this fall. Not likely to happen. Get ready, instead, for the mother of all daycare crunches if things don’t work out between Ontario’s nearly 200,000 teachers and the cash-strapped Liberal government. And at this rate — no one is negotiating, and the teachers’ unions are gearing up for ...http://www.lfpress.com/2015/07/22/cash-strapped-provincial-government-pleads-poor-to-unions

11. St. Catharines, ON.OSSTF to set Aug. 10 strike deadline, The Brock NewsThe University has been advised that OSSTF District 35, which represents support staff at Brock, will set a strike deadline of Monday Aug. 10. The parties have been bargaining for a new agreement since March, and the University remains committed ...http://www.brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=34391

23. Wichita, KS.Wichita teachers will vote on contract; union makes no recommendation, Wichita EagleIt also proposes a work group to study changes to the teacher evaluation ... The agreement includes a “reopener” clause for salary negotiations if the ...http://www.kansas.com/news/local/education/article26979796.html

1. Toronto, ON.Ontario Catholic teachers move closer to strike after latest talks fail, Huffington PostOntario's English Catholic Teachers are requesting a "no board" report that would move the teachers closer to a strike.The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, which represents 50,000 teachers, says it is taking the action after talks involving a conciliator failed to lead to an agreement with the provincial government and trustees.http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/07/09/ontario-catholic-teachers_n_7764274.html

4. Norman, OK.OK condensing schedules to attract teachers, KGOUFor a lot of schools in Oklahoma, juggling flat budgets with increasing costs means a bumpy road ahead for district superintendents. And getting teachers to work for the meager starting salary is also a struggle. So how do they make it work? Some districts in Oklahoma pay teachers in time -- four days a week, instead of five.http://kgou.org/post/oklahoma-schools-condensing-schedule-save-money-attract-teachers

7. Sarasota, FL.Teacher bonuses tied to tests — their own college entrance exams, Sarasota Herald-TribuneThey would also have to be rated as “highly effective” under the state's new teacher evaluation guidelines. The scholarships — which are not intended ...http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150708/ARTICLE/150709665

13. Belding, MI.Belding teachers, school board undergo fact finding hearing at Belding High School, Sentinel-StandardMembers of the Belding Education Association (BEA) have been in negotiations with representatives from Belding Area Schools to come to an ...http://www.sentinel-standard.com/article/20150626/NEWS/150629338

6. Washington, DC.What We Should Be Talking about When We Talk about Teacher Evaluation, EdCentralLast week, New York's Board of Regents met to hammer out regulations for the state's recently approved legislation to overhaul its teacher evaluation ...http://www.edcentral.org/teachereval/

12. Toronto, ON.Teacher lockout 'last resort,' says Liz Sandals, Toronto StarEducation Minister Liz Sandals says teachers frustrated with the state of contract negotiations could be locked out, but only as a last resort. “The thing about locking out teachers is you also lock out children and school boards and the government, we are really committed to trying to keep the kids in the classroom,” ...http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/06/22/teacher-lockout-last-resort-says-liz-sandals.html

5. Toronto, ON.OSSTF plans to cease extracurricular activities across the province, Toronto SunOntario’s public high school teachers can expect to be in a province-wide strike position by early July and will then cease any participation in extracurricular activities, their union says. If a collective agreement with teachers is not reached over the summer, public high school students will likely have no extracurricular ...http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/18/osstf-plans-to-cease-extracurricular-activities-across-the-province

4. Needham, MA.Medfield teachers' union, administration reach contract deal, Wicked Local MedfieldAfter a year and a half of negotiations, the teachers union and school administration have come to terms on a four year contract that both sides believe ...http://medfield.wickedlocal.com/article/20150612/NEWS/150618603

17. Wichita, KS.Frustrations high as Wichita teachers await details of tentative contract deal, Wichita EagleWichita teachers and their families still are awaiting details of a tentative ... Most years, negotiations continue through the summer, and teachers vote ...http://www.kansas.com/news/local/education/article23423460.html

23. Toronto, ON.Ontario high school teachers set stage for September strike, The Toronto SunThe Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation has applied for conciliation at the provincial bargaining table, the union confirmed Friday. Following a meeting with a conciliator, a “no board” ruling can be sought by either side, which starts the clock ticking on a 17-day countdown to a strike or ...http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/05/ontario-high-school-teachers-set-stage-for-september-strike

3. Raleigh, NC.NC attempt to end tenure ruled unconstitutional, The News & ObserverIn a state where public schoolteachers have marched on the state Capitol and staged walk-ins to protest pay and policy reforms, the N.C. Court of Appeals issued a ruling that buoyed the spirits of the rallying educators and struck a blow to the Republican education agenda in North Carolina ...http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article22862436.html

7. Yatesville, PA.Pittston Area teachers get new labor contract after 2 years of negotiations, Wilkes Barre Times-LeaderIt took more than two years to reach a three-year deal, but Pittston Area teachers have a new contract that district lead negotiator ...http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/153877627/

28. Woodland Park, NJ.North Jersey teachers learn social media’s traps the hard way, North JerseyAs social media use grows, teachers are learning that what they post online can get them in trouble even if it is done on their own time and on their personal Web pages. Those concerns were highlighted last week when a Wayne teacher who poked fun at a student’s name on her Facebook page had her one-year job suspension upheld.http://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-teachers-learn-social-media-s-traps-the-hard-way-1.1336656